The Journey
by jonn3y5
Summary: AU! What if Emma was adopted after August left her in the orphanage? How would that effect her ability to break the curse? Will she have the ablity to believe? And how will Snow and Charming handle Emma calling someone else "Mom" and "Dad"?


Hey guys! So this is my first OUAT story. I recently became obsessed and just finished season three, and I'm so excited for Sunday. I want to thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoy.

xxxx

"Good job Emma." Four year old Emma picks up the soccer ball she was practicing with and looks over at the sudden presence. A man by the name of Robert flashes a smile at the young girl and Emma runs over to him.

"Daddy!" She screams and Robert swoops her up and hold her tightly against him.

"Look at you! Look how big you have gotten." Robert says tickling Emma's stomach. Emma giggles and looks at her dad.

"What has mommy been feeding you, huh?" Robert asks and Emma giggles again.

"Peas." Emma says making a stink face.

"Aww it can't be worse than military food." Robert says before flipping Emma over his shoulder and holding her there.

"Daddy!" Emma shrieks with laughter as Robert walks through the back door and into the kitchen.

4 years ago, Robert and his wife, Jess, decided that the pain of conceiving and miscarrying was to much, So they sought out adoption. It was hard the first couple of kids blew through their home and their hearts, but the minute Emma was placed in there home and their arms, they knew, they found their happy ending.

Soon after, Robert was called to duty, and has seen Emma in pictures or in person for only weeks a time. For Emma, it's all she has ever known, but for her big brother Reece, it's hard.

Robert and Jess were able to conceive and have Reece, after months for fertility treatments and bed rest, but he was there and he was theirs. He was a greatest big brother Emma could ever ask for. With Emma being 4 and Reece being 7, their age difference made it hard for activities together, but they still loved each other very much.

"Look what I found in the back, a weed playing soccer. I didn't realize it was possible." Robert jokes pulling his daughter back up and setting her on the counter. Jess smiles at the pair and brushes Emma's blonde curls out her face.

"Daddy, I'm not a weed." Emma states in a matter of fact tone.

"You aren't? Well you're growing like one."

"No silly I'm a human just like you and mommy, see?" With Robert's help Emma is able to hop off the counter and dance around in a silly fashion. Both parents look on and are unable to resist laughing at their free spirited little girl.

"Well then, that put me in my place." Robert says causing a laugh from his wife. Robert looks down to say something to his daughter, but he sees she has already taken to what is on the TV.

"That was quick." Robert says kicking off his boots.

"I told you, she's four now. She more independent then you were at 19." Jess says causing Robert to stick his tongue out.

"And way more mature then you will ever be." Jess leaves the kitchen and Robert watches with a smile and she joins their daughter on the couch.

xxxxx

"So Emma, mom tells me you are getting pretty good at soccer." Robert says later on at the dinner table. Reece reaches across his dad and grabs a dinner roll.

"Reece, manners." Jess reminds. Reece mumbles a sorry before placing the dinner roll on Emma's plate.

"Ya, I like soccer." Emma answers after swallowing a bite of roast.

"That's good." Robert says not knowing what to say exactly. His wife gives him a disapproving look that causes him to reach for his beer. He shakes her head, signaling now is not the time for their announcement.

"After dinner and me and Emma go outside and play until it gets dark?" Reece questions. Jess turns her gaze away from Robert and looks at Reece.

"Of course." She smiles at him and only gains a nod back. The rest for dinner is fairly quiet aside from the side conversations between Emma and Reece.

After dinner, Emma and Reece run into the back yard and start up a game of soccer while the parents look on.

"We can't, we can't move them." Jess says after a moment of watching her children play. "Boston is our home. Their home. We can't just move." Jess says and Robert looks at her.

"It's our chance to finally be happy. Finally be together. New York isn't that far. We can visit anytime. But we can finally be a real family." Robert takes Jess's hands into his own and diverts her attention away from the soccer game. Jess doesn't respond but calls to her children. They run back into the house and Reece is the first to notice and look of news in his parents faces.

"What's going on?" The alarmed sound in Reece's voice causes Emma to look up at her parents.

"What do you guys think about New York?"

xxxxxx

28 years later..

"Well, well, well, look who it is." Reece, who is dressed in black skinny jeans, a dress shirt, a red tie, and a black vest, stands up when he spots his younger sister walking towards the table.

"If it isn't New York's finest attorney at law. No pun intended." Reece says with a smile that would leave girls drooling. Emma, dressed in a red dress, and black high heels, laughs at her brothers comment and kisses him on the cheek.

"Hi." She says before taking a seat.

"How are ya, stranger. It's been a while. I know traveling the world and making more money in an hour than I do in a month is hard and all, but I hardly see you anymore." Reece says his statement dripping in sarcasm.

"I can see you are still a little bitter you decided to be honorable." Emma says after thanking the waiter for the wine that was just brought to the table.

"I'm not sure what possessed me to become a cop, but hey, one of us had to stay home and look after our dear old parents." Reece says earning a laugh from Emma.

"Or one of us had to be stubborn and prove that he could be plenty happy with being a cop and completely disregard his medical degree." Emma says taking a sip of her wine.

"Ya or that." Reece says laughing at his comment. "How was Rome?" Reece asks his sister and watches as she completely lights up and starts telling him about her trip.

For as long as he can remember, Emma was always searching for something. Always running off to new and exciting things. When she decide to become a lawyer, Reece thought that would be her anchor. Something that kept her from running. But she quickly made equity partner and then named partner of one of the most powerful firms in New York. That's when the traveling started. Traveling to different places, speaking about the law. He was proud of his sister, she was always somewhat of a free spirit, but she needed an anchor, she needed to find what she was looking for.

"... The wine Reece, you have to try the wine." Emma's voice cuts through Reece's thoughts and he looks at her.

"I'm sorry what?" He asks and Emma studies him.

"Are you ok?" She asks and Reece bids almost immediately.

"Wha- ya of course. You know I love listening to your adventures." Reece says reaching for his glass.

"You're lying." Emma says squinting at him.

"Oh come on Em. I'm not a witness in a courtroom ok, I'm your brother, treating you to a very expensive birthday dinner, so let's just enjoy it ok?" Reece says taking a sip of his wine.

"Why didn't mom and dad come?" Emma asks studying her brother.

"They didn't want to crowd you." Reece answers and Emma looks around the restaurant.

"Can you blame them? You threw them out of your life the moment they told you."

"They lied to me Reece, you know how I feel about lying."

"They didn't lie to you Emma they were protecting you."

"Protecting me from what? Because on this side of the table, all it feels like is my whole life was a lie." Their food arrives and Emma looks over at her brother who just smiles tightly at the waiter but doesn't look at his food.

"I'm sorry-"

"They didn't tell you Emma, because they never thought of you as the adopted child, they thought of you as their child. Period." Reece scoots his chair back and sets a clear container holding a cupcake inside of it, in front of his sister.

"Happy birthday Em." Reece kisses his sisters head before exiting the restaurant. Emma looks at the cupcake and sighs. Her moms homemade lemon with cream cheese. It's been her favorite since she can remember. Been her birthday cake every year, including this one. Emma quickly pays the bill after getting her food boxed up and exiting the restaurant, with her shoes, uneaten food, and her cupcake in hand. She walks over to her Dodge Charger and starts it before getting in. She throws her shoes in the back and sets the food in the passengers seat carefully, before driving herself home.

Once home, Emma put the box of uneaten food in the fridge with the rest of the take out collecting in her fridge, and takes the cupcake out carefully and putting it on a plate. She sticks a candle in it carefully before lighting it.

"Here's to another year." Emma closes her eyes and makes a wish, just like she does every year, before blowing out the candle. She looks at her cupcake for a second before taking the candle out and licking the bottom of it. She sets the candle aside and starts to pick up her cupcake but her moment is cut short when there is a swift knock at her door. She looks up and then over at her oven clock.

11:28

Emma frowns before walking over to her door and opening it. When she opens it, a man, dressed in an expensive suit is standing on the other side.

"Emma? Emma Swan?" The man asks and Emma looks him up and down.

"Yes?"

"I'm August. And I need your help."

xxxx

"What makes you think I would help you. A lot of people know my name Mr..." Emma trails off. August looks up from his phone.

"Just August." Emma looks at him.

"But what makes it creepy is you know where I live. How is it that you know that?"

"I know a lot about you Emma. Graduated top ten in your high school class, Summa cum laude at Columbia university, top of your class at Harvard law."

"Great so you know Google."

"Emma, you and I, we knew each other. We were in foster care together. My father, he knew your parents. Your biological parents."

"Your father knew my parents? How?" Emma questions.

"They were from the same... Neighborhood." August says fighting back the urge to say realm. Emma studies him and August stands up.

"Look Emma, I can't say much more. But you need to believe, your parents are in trouble and you are the only one who can save them."

"What makes you think I want to save them? They left me. And it's my understanding you were in the same boat because of them, so why?"

"If they had the choice Emma, they wouldn't have given you up." August pulls out a slip of paper and places it under his cup.

"Meet me tomorrow morning 5:00 am. I can answer more questions then. And.. Bring a bag." Emma watches as he quickly flees her apartment and just stands there. What the hell just happened? She walks over to the paper and picks it up.

Is she really going to be crazy enough to meet a stranger and go God knows where with him? Emma sets the paper back down and shakes her head. No, of course not.

xxxx

"You came." August says as Emma climbs out her car with a coffee in hand.

"At this god awful hour." Emma responds and August laughs.

"Did you bring a bag?" August asks and Emma nods.

"Great, let's go. We have a long ride." August walks over to a vintage yellow bag and Emma looks at him.

"Let's go." August says noticing her not moving.

"What is that?" Emma asks and August looks around.

"What?"

"That yellow death machine." Emma says and August looks at his car.

"It's my car." August says and Emma shakes her head.

"No. I will follow you." Emma doesn't leave room for discussion as she gets in her car.

"Fine, but stay close." August yells out and only gets a wave back.

"Stubborn, just like her mother." August mumbles before getting in his car and driving off with Emma behind him.

xxxxx

Soo what did you guys think? Kind of a twist on the story line, but I think it will be interesting to explore how hard it would be to form bonds if she was adopted v how she is in the show. It is easy for her to form bonds because she didn't have anyone but now that she does, how hard will it be for her to form bonds now. So thanks for reading! Review and let me know your thoughts, and what you think will happen.


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